Listen Up: The Chapin Sisters

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The greatest flattery for a rising band is to open for a sold-out tour. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward–of She & Him—paid such compliment to The Chapin Sisters by inviting Abigail and Lily Chapin to hit the road with them in 2010 and again by requesting their vocal presence for their upcoming 2013 line-up.

Before The Chapin Sisters rock shows at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl, Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium, and New York's Central Park SummerStage, the sister-duo will return to their DIY-touring roots to drum up attention for their latest covers album, A Date with the Everly Brothers. "We are literally performing as the Everly Brothers—in drag," Lily told us while while preparing for a gig at McCabe's Guitar Shop in L.A. "We even put pompadours in our hair."

As the daughters of famed folk singer Tom Chapin, the duo draws style inspiration from vast musical influences—everything from Appalachian music, Old English folk traditions, British Invasion pop, and the blues. Lil (as Abigail calls her) recounted: "We've had eras. When we started we would only wear white—like virginal, lace gowns—and we would play rock clubs where everybody was in black. It was a crazy, reverse-goth thing. Then, we wore psychedelic colors. And most recently—because of the country flavored thing—we've done these '40s glam gowns."

The Everly Brothers idea for their third album arrived both out of necessity (not having time to write while performing with She & Him) and spontaneity (an impromptu Everly Brothers sister sing-along late one night). The album also serves as a special request from The Chapin Sisters to The Everly Brothers: "If anyone has an 'in' with Phil and Don [of The Everly Brothers], we'd like a date with them," Abigail told the crowd at their show. She continued, "[But] apparently, they won't see each other. So, we might have to date them separately."